It all started with me pleading with my husband for a trampoline for the kids this Christmas.
What transpired over the next 24 hours was SO interesting to me!
Standing in my kitchen, making my case for a trampoline (yet again), my husband told me NO WAY - there will be no children of his going to the ER with broken bones! My husband doesn't often draw lines in the sand, but he did with the trampoline request.
NO.
Of course I deferred to him (he is the more sensible one in this marriage, and his judgement is usually better than mine), but I told him that for fun I was going to ask the Homegrown Learners' Facebook community what THEY thought of trampolines.
SO THERE.
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Ah, the internet. Don't you love it?
I certainly do -- it's where I spend a large part of my time. (I run this blog and I'm a social media consultant on the side.)
Sometimes, though, I just have to sit back and shake my head.
Look at the responses to that ONE post... 245 comments -- many pro, many con.
I guess I asked for it, right? Opinions galore!
YES:
"YES!!!! Best toy/investment we've ever made. My kids have spent countless hours on it sometimes they just sit out there having lunch or a snack. Way more bike accidents happen than trampoline accidents so what do you all say about getting bikes? "
"Yes, have always had one. Big fun. We have had a broken ankle too. Big brother landed on little brother. The safety net around is wonderful. There is risk, yes. There is also risk in climbing trees, riding bikes, etc. My kids love the trampoline (or the jumpoline as they used to call it!)"
"We love ours and are getting a new one for the kids for Christmas!"
NO:
"I would love to have one, however my Chiropractor husband says no way in heck!"
"No trampolines. Too many head injuries."
"The retired Emergency Department nurse in me says, 'Ummmmmmm....no, but thanks for asking.' "
Just because I like to stir things up, as I watched the trampoline comments come bouncing in (no pun intended), I decided to post ANOTHER question to my FB community:
People can get so WORKED UP about stuff.
I posed this question knowing it would generate some controversy. Every year I watch the Santa debate go around on blogs and on social media. I KNEW it would be interesting.
Also, just so you know where I stand on this issue:
We have done the Santa thing with our children since birth. No, I don't see it as "lying" to my children. It's been such fun to perpetuate the magic that both my husband and I experienced in our childhood.
I have such fond memories of my mother reading 'Twas The Night Before Christmas to me as a child... and I LOVE reading it to my children now!
Jesus is the focal point of our Christmas, of course, and I'm fairly certain my 13 year old (who no longer believes in Santa) wasn't harmed or confused through our Santa tradition.
(Well, maybe she was harmed just a little bit...)
I do, however, respect others' decision to NOT teach their children about Santa.
We're all doing what we think is best with our children, right?
The Santa comments were a bit more heated than the trampoline comments:
YES:
"Yes, yes and yes! Even my 11 year old still believes. They know that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas but I've always told them Santa is a wonderful symbol of Christmas spirit. I love that they still BELIEVE! In a world full of so little innocence it warms my heart!"
"Yes. Both my hubby and I grew up with Santa. We enjoy passing the tradition down. This will be my 10 yo's last year with Santa. Then next year she becomes Santa with dh and myself for our son. But, my kids also know the real reason for Christmas. We celebrate the advent season and everything that goes along with it. For breakfast on Christmas morning we have cake (that the kids made) and sing happy birthday to Jesus. It's a balance. We make it work."
"If you dont believe you only get socks and underwear. LOL So our kids will be 79 and still believe."
NO:
"I won't lie to my kids then tell them not to lie."
No here, I too didn't want to lie to my kiddos, hard for me to teach from God's word but then talk about a man that "he knows when you're good or bad" I couldn't do it. Oh and I'm 100% for a trampoline...I'm crying now because ours had broke"
"No Santa. My kid finds the idea of someone watching him day and night very creepy, so we don't try to pass it off as real."
Everyone has a need to be HEARD and to be UNDERSTOOD, don't they?
Everyone has an opinion.
"There are as many opinions as there are experts."
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
Social media gives us the PERFECT platform to express those opinions. (We just need to be careful about how we use those platforms, right?)
In the end I just love what one FB fan, Jessica, had to say:
"Yes to JESUS, Yes to Santa, Yes to our elf Hershey and yes to trampoline! But again what happens in one home doesn't have to happen in the next. I actually love learning about everyone's different traditions."
I really LOVE the FB community that has grown over the past four years. It's a supportive place (most often!) where we can share struggles, successes, favorite books, funny stories, and even opinions about Santa and trampolines.
When I found this picture I just had to laugh out loud!
What if Santa LEFT ME A TRAMPOLINE??
Now, how would my husband respond to that? {giggle}